Leviticus 24:16 Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.

I won’t bother to ask how many of my readers use the active X link to pull up this quote. It may be that they found it on a platform that does not allow links or they may not have recognized that it was an active link.

Then there will be a small group that already knows what Leviicus 24:16 says. Those may be serious students of the bible or perhaps even teachers.

Everyone is welcome to ask why I did not include the text along with the link. I welcome questions. Please ask, please!!!

Questions lead to conversations that allow teachers to comprehend the level of understanding a subject matter for their students have on the subject. It is also a fair gauge of intellect.

We live in the church age and believe in our Lord Jesus Christ. At least I hope we all do but this article, like all my articles go out through multiple media platforms, emails only being one of them.

I do not expect everyone to understand my reasoning, but I do not want anyone to take what I say for granted. Validate anything or everything I say. Questions are welcome.

I ask my teacher of teachers questions all the time.

Here is one and I think it is important. If a sojourner blasphemes “the Name” wouldn’t it be fair to that stranger to discover what “that Name” is and why it is such a protected name? Did they actually know why they were being put to death? That doesn’t sound like justice.

Then again, we live in a system that says we have the right to hear the charges against us and face our accuser in court. Those rights are only applicable to U.S. Bill of Rights. Other countries will have their own laws.

We live in a time of grace that is available to us through our faith in Jesus Christ.

Who among us do not believe and what is their understanding? What is offensive to them that is considered worthy of death?

Our teachers cannot cover every aspect of biblical implications. They cannot help us with those things that bother us if we do not ask. The classroom is the place to ask before we are tested by God. Deuteronomy 13:3

James 3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.

As a case study let us look at Saul and Gamaliel, the student and teacher.

Acts 22:3 “I (Paul) am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day.”

These are the words of Gamaliel Acts 5:39 “but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice,”

Gamaliel told the council to not interfere with these rebellious uprisings just in case God was the author of the movement. How did Paul, then Saul come to the conclusion that he should be the vehicle of retribution against this new way of thinking, this cult called The Way?

Was there something missing in Gamaliel’s teachings that allowed Saul the student to believe it was his job to punish perceived rebellion? Perhaps it was taught in the law.

Deuteronomy 13:5 But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery, to make you leave the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

Perhaps there wasn’t enough emphasis of Deut. 13:3 where it says “For the Lord your God is testing you”. So many times in scriptures Israel had strayed away from God and in each case God took action against rebellion. Those examples of just how God entreats rebellion should have told Saul, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.” God did not need the help of a misguided student.

In Acts 9 Saul did not seek counsel from his teacher Gamaliel but went directly to the High Priest for letters to the synagogues that if any where found to be following the Way in their synagogue that they were not to interfere with his taking those individuals back to Jerusalem.  

We were introduced to Saul in Acts 7:58 “Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.” Saul was known to the men that were stoning Stephen to death for saying this; Acts 7:56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

So the stoning became justified because of Deut. 13:5 in Saul’s mind. But I have to ask, did Stephen’s comment rise to the level of punishment in Leviticus 24:16? What do our teachers say? Was his death justified?